New Yorkers love their libraries. So why are they always on the chopping block?

Plus: Old subway signs, benches and more at the MTA holiday pop-up sale [View this email in a browser.]( Our Gift to You! Get this T-shirt when you [donate & help fund]( our non-profit newsroom. [Donate Now]( [New Yorkers love their libraries. So why are they always on the chopping block?]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Sunny and breezy, with highs in the mid 50s. It's Friday in New York City, where mayors know that threatening to cut library budgets will spark public outrage — and yet they do it anyway. [There are several reasons why this keeps happening](. Here's what else is going on: - "So apparently that lil power surge wasn’t just my building and happened everywhere all the way to Brooklyn": Con Ed has confirmed that [an issue at a DUMBO substation last night]( caused a brief citywide power outage. - The NYPD said police shot and killed a man on the Lower East Side Thursday after a two-and-a-half-hour standoff that [ended when the man fired at officers who'd entered his apartment](. - Republicans have picked Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip as their candidate for the upcoming [special election to replace Rep. George Santos](. - NJ Transit and PATH service was delayed yesterday after [a bull got onto the tracks]( at Newark Penn Station. - New York City’s budget watchdog estimates that caring for migrants over the next two years will cost the city around [$4.8 billion less than what Mayor Eric Adams has projected](. - A federal judge held the New York City Department of Correction in [contempt of court]( yesterday after learning that jail officials had put detainees accused of fire-setting in a specialized unit without sprinklers in cells — and failed to inform a federal monitor about it. - A former NYPD officer was arrested yesterday for [allegedly sexually abusing underage boys]( including ones he met while on the job. - The city [is getting]( three new legal weed shops. - Local DJ and nightlife legend Eli Escobar is [opening a new club in Williamsburg]( tonight. - Subway signs, trash cans, station benches and chunks of old train train cars [are up for sale]( at the MTA's holiday pop-up shop. - Separately, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services is auctioning off unused (or, in some cases, broken) items, including motion-sensing soap dispensers, giant packs of rubber bands, NYPD scuba diving flashlights and [other stuff that's taking up too much space in municipal stockrooms](. - ...and if none of that is on your gifting list, consider [socks with the person's face on them]( - Police said they've issued more than 1,200 summonses and [towed 149 cars]( for blocking bus lanes since the launch of the joint MTA and NYPD Bus Lane Enforcement Task Force earlier this month. - Kenny DeForest, a 37-year-old Brooklyn comedian who'd recently been featured on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," died this week after [crashing on his e-bike in Crown Heights]( last Friday. - Meet the Greenpoint woman who's been siphoning fish and other aquatic creatures from Newtown Creek and giving them a new home in the [20-gallon fish tank in her living room](. - The plan to [build a flood wall]( around Red Hook is inching along. - Newark Airport is [replacing its 27-year-old monorail]( with a new cable car system. - The top 5 things "near me" that [New Yorkers googled in 2023]( "Air quality," "pawn shop," "pilates," "yoga" and "neurologist." - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. “[Has anyone in the history of the world ever seen an announcement of budget cutbacks that did not include the word L I B R A R I E S]( - joyce carol oates on mayor adams' latest announcement of [PROPOSED LIBRARY BUDGET CUTS]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [He’s 'NYC clout guy' on TikTok. But what’s he chasing in real life?]( Jean-Luc Lukunku, known for his over-the-top parody of a 20-something social media influencer, said his actual desire to become "somebody" was sparked by his family's love of Michael Jackson. [Anonymous donor saves compost collection at NYC greenmarkets, staving off mayor's cuts]( GrowNYC said the donation was enough to keep the compost collection program running until the end of June, when the city’s annual budget is due. [We Rely On Your Support]( [A local's guide to enjoying the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights]( A Dyker Heights native offers tips on when to go, which houses to look out for and where to get food afterwards. [11 last-minute, affordable gifts to buy from local NYC artists and stores]( This year's Brian Lehrer Show "Shop Listener" gift guide features baby tuxedos, pet portraits, chic weed-smoking accessories and other locally-made items. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.